We're Running Up Hill
by Veguard
Summary: The aftermath left Loki with a self-awareness and assure of who he is. His spite towards Odin has only grown over the years. He will do anything to ensure Odin will never his way, but such actions will only be the fuel for deadly alliances and war. R&R!
1. Chapter 1

**We're Running Up Hill**

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><p><strong>Summary:<strong> The events following his chosen exile from Asgard, Loki has become self-assured and aware himself. His playful mischief is beginning to change as he too grows even more comfortable with the idea that he no longer needs a mask to hide his true, malicious self from curious eyes. Though he toys with his the Midgardians, they are but warnings to Odin that he shall _never_ achieve the peace among the realms he foresaw so long ago as long as Loki lives. But to meddle with Odin, Allfather, God of Deceit and Wisdom, and Father of Slaying, will yield its own deadly consequences, opening the realms to war and deadly alliances founded on both truths and lies.

**Rating:** R for violence, naughty language, and adult content.

**Warning:** _Not_ a happy go-lucky redemption story. This is actually not even a redemption story. Expect character deaths to occur.

**Main Characters: **Loki Odinson, Thor Odinson, Odin, Sigyn Njordson, Byleistr Laufeyson, Fárbauti (Laufey's Wife), Jane Foster, Darcy Lewis, Erik Selvig, and Om the Kitten.

**Special Appearances:** The Avengers and their favorite government babysitters.

**Pairings:** Loki/Sigyn, Thor/Jane, Thor/Sif (one-sided?), Fárbauti/Laufey, Odin/Frigga, Fandral/Darcy (maybe?), Byleistr/Sigyn, and Stark/All Females.

**Setting:** Post-Thor and Captain America

**Special Thanks:** Byebye-babeh and Alterik for referring me to the Book of Jotun for all things Jotun.

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><p><em>EDIT: Changed the rating because I would rather be safe than sorry. <em>

_Also, byebye-babeh made me fanart! Go check it out! _

_scrimpytheshrimp. deviantart . com/art/Here-Kitty-Kitty-252484756_

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><p>She stood on the bifrost, looking towards the dome that loomed over the edge, seeming to titter and taunt fate again. Before the gateway, a shadow stood; the hint of gold on his person blinded her from seeing his face. He clearly saw her. His graceful footsteps were bringing him to closer to her. The ocean breeze pushed the flaps of his tunic towards her. The wind ruffled his loose, ebon' pants. Between the brown and grassy stripes, there was a glint of silver. His leather shoulders with gold trimming squared off his skimpy shoulders and filled out his scrawny, flimsy frame. The figure's olive sleeves had brown straps over them; the upper arms' were parallel wit the ground, while the lower arms were at diagonal weaves. Carefully he pried away the leather gloves and held them in his left hand. His knee-high, gold kneecap embodied boots gently patted against the glassy case that contained the magic inside the bridge.<p>

There was no need for words as Loki stopped. He bowed before her like in the ol' days. Her reflection lingered on his the rim of his dubious, jade eyes. The girl's forehead came to the bottom of his sharp nose. Her face was soft and oval shape, making his inverted triangle-like face miles sharper. Those golden locks cascaded around her face, brushed against her bare shoulders, and tickled the small of her back. Loose, shear blue loops came from underneath her breastplate to bind her upper arms to her dress. Sigyn pursed her cupid lips at him. She slid her large honey eyes over him with a mixed array of emotions—the most prominent emotion being irritation.

He offered his hand to her, where she placed her nimble fingers on his scratched palm. Loki curled his fingers around hers with a mischievous smile leaking onto his face. Sigyn swung her hourglass body towards him. The trail of her long, pastel blue dress swung with her. The sunlight glinted off of her silver chest plate. His lust filled eyes traced the curves of her body, savoring the sand tan straps that wrapped around the waist and headed diagonally down to her hips. From underneath straps was a shear blue fabric that floated downwards to the ground like a feather. The silver scales on her tight leggings vibrated like the ocean waves. To match the rest of her attire, the woman's flat boots clung to her legs; the very front of them were coated in a silver plate with remnants of her father's magic deeply woven into the fine metal.

"What, Prince Loki?" Sigyn chided; the anger hit him faster than Thor's hammer.

He wrapped his arm around hers. With a lift of his leg, Loki led Sigyn down the bridge made of melted bullion. Loki licks his dry lips, tasting the salt from the ocean on them. The sky-traveler matched her quick, furious step. "Oh, the women of Midgard are nothing but sticks and bones, Lady Sigyn," Loki explained. "They believe beauty is starving yourself." He fondly glanced her way; maybe a hint of teasing lingered there. She looked unimpressed at him, which, to her dismay, made his grin grow infinitely. "Clearly they have never seen you. If they did, they would soon understand that beauty has curves."

She scrunched her button nose as she huffed at his compliment. He did not seemed phase or even surprised by the young woman's reaction. As forgiving as Sigyn could be, her forgiveness did not come without earning. Walking beside her, him a Jotun, a monster, felt out of place. Something that had been so natural for him was now an effort. It left him with a bitter taste burning in the back of his throat. "Is this is how our meeting is to proceed?" he inquired.

The markets were empty. The golden bricks were glittering; for once there was no dust to obscure their beauty. As Asgard was that golden city, the buildings too were made of the rare substance. Every door had intricate designed engraved upon them; many of which relayed the history of the common folk who made their livings in the market. In the ceramic, rich chocolate pots sprouted miniature trees to praise the World Tree. On many of them, little children hung their woodcarvings of the hawk and eagle that watched over them. A select few of the trees had all nine realms represented upon their blooming branches. The ash from their fireplaces blanketed the trees' roots.

"I am angry with you, Prince Loki" Sigyn admitted.

"Tell me something I do not know already," Loki replied curtly. Quickly enough he regretted the words. She stole her hand back from his. Sigyn, still so childish, curled her hands into tiny fists at the sides of her well-rounded hips. He stood erect; head held arrogantly high in her presence. The trickster's unkempt hair was curling at the bottom, seeming to grab onto his high collar.

"If you are to have the tongue of a snake, then leave my dream," she demanded. "I refuse to be treated poorly; even if the accused is only an apparition of my dreams."

A string pulled at the left side of his lips into a sly smirk—a know-it-all smirk in her opinion. "But how do you know this is a dream?" Loki mused too happily. Hesitation kissed Sigyn's lips, leaving them parted. He approached; every step he took, she took backwards. Another strike had been dealt to his heart. Never had Sigyn repelled his presence. He caught himself glancing at his skin to reassure himself his skin was still alabaster. Loki flicked his glistening eyes to her. Sigyn turned her head away and shut her eyes from him. Her actions kicked the breath out of him. He looked away to search for the words in the streets.

"Sigyn—"

"It is Lady Sigyn," she corrected.

Loki stared at her, wide-eyed and unbelieving. "I have _never_ called you Lady Sigyn in my life; just as you have never referred to me as Prince Loki until this day," he reminded brutally. The trickster snaked his way to her and placed his slimy hand upon her arm. The fabric was soft to the touch much like her skin. "I have left you many times and never once were you uncouth with me. You _always_ understood. Why will you not understand this time?"

She was silent.

He sighed into the wind; the wind pushed his hot breath back into his face. "I expect you are familiar with the happenings," Loki stated for the record; his voice was dreary and acidic. The words tasted of tart on his tongue. Like so many times before in her presence, the metal on his chest felt heavy and kept him from breathing properly. If it weren't his breathing, then his words would be heavy on his silver tongue. The trickster longingly looked to her, an Aesir. Wonder swam in his eyes, and his curiosity had him wondering how much she knew. He hesitantly pulled back his hand—a monster's hand. "I brought you a gift," he spoke out of the blue.

"Oh?" she played. "What could you give me that you have not already given me?" Sigyn turned to him, arms crossed, button nose scrunched, and her thin brows raised in suspicion. "I hold your wine blossom that never fails to bloom. You gave me two lovely sons, Narfi and Váli, when my father's careless wolf ate my favorite doll. They rest upon the pillows of my bed. I wear—" She lifted her left hand to reveal the intricate bands of burning diamonds woven carefully into a Celtic knot to represent the tree. A different color was placed inside the clear tree to represent the nine realms. Hidden within the trunk of the tree was Loki's clan symbol. "The double ring you gave me for my fifteen birthday." Loki came closer as he felt the warmth in her voice beckon him. "Tied around your waist, kept hidden from the rest of Asgard's eyes, is the toasted gold ring that you swore upon—the oath that as much as you stray, you shall answer to only one woman at the end of Ragnarok. There is not much more you can give me, Prince Loki."

He chuckled like she knew no better—she didn't. "Yes, I have indeed given you items that have made my own mother jealous of you," Loki countered smoothly. "I have committed acts with dwarves that have made me respectful of a woman." The laughter leaked through her lips. "For you only will I ever return to, she who is _my_ king." Her golden cheeks flushed with cherry hues. The dimples from her smile brought a young look to her already childish appearance. "You claim there is nothing I can give you since everything I have given you is grand—the finest in all of the World Tree. But ah, I have travelled very far to find a gift no one here in Asgard has." From behind his back, Loki pulled out his pair of leather gloves. With a strike of his hand, the gloves faded into a young, tar-colored kitten that fit snugly in the palm of his hand.

Sigyn covered her astonished mouth. Quickly she outstretched her hand to stroke the kitten. "What creature is this?" she inquired curiously. "I have never laid eyes upon a creature this endearing." Loki passed the young life into her cupped palms. Her happiness was reflected in his eyes with pride that he had managed to once again astound her with an even better gift. A small squeal came from her as the kitten opened his apple green eyes to her.

"This is a cat," he explained. "They come from Midgard. This one is young, a babe. I know you have a fondness for broken things, so I took this young orphan and brought him to you. As you have done such a good task of raising our sons, I assume raising another son will be no hassle." With his thumb, Loki lightly stroked the underside of the kitten's supple neck. A charming laugh came from his Sigyn when she heard the kitten's purr. "This one, Om, will need goat's milk for a few more weeks."

"Of course," she complied. "I will only use the most luxurious goat's milk in Asgard."

"I have some on my person," Loki offered. "Allow me to take you back to your room so you may nurse your new son." He placed his arm around her shoulders. The world around her became her bedroom. There was no fancy transition; simply, they had arrived. Sigyn ruffled the beige and tarnished gold sheets as she sat down with her new darling. She watched as Loki casted his eyes around the room, trying to understand the strangeness of the golden walls.

"This is not your room," Loki stated. He placed a hand on the tapestry that hung on the wall; the scenery was one of Njord's ships sailing through the morning waters on a cloudless day. He looked to the large bed and took notice of how smooth the fabric was smooth compared to the rough work of the Vanir. Beside the bed burned a candle on top of the wooden dresser. More gold was trimmed into wood and guided into the Celtic knots of their—her people. He gazed out through the window that was the gateway to the city. "We are in Odin's hall," he added. "Why?"

"I live here," she answered simply.

"Since when?" the sky-traveler asked quickly.

The sadness bubbled up from the bottom of her heart to her skin. The glow that she radiated evaporated. Sigyn's heavy eyes fell to Om. "Since Pa's passing," she whispered mournfully.

Loki stood still as the words slowly sank into his skull. "Hostage King Njord," he spoke; though more like asking. "I—" The words flopped off his snake tongue. Sigyn ran a finger along the wet ridges of her eyelids. He came beside her; however, Loki was torn between sitting next to her in a heartbeat or standing before her as a fading friend. "I did not know." This was his apology. Another tear from her eyes brought him to sit beside her, arm around her shoulder, and his thumb rubbing her warm skin. "When did he pass?"

"Some weeks before the Bifrost was restored," Sigyn spoke. There was the slightest strain in her voice, a combination of tiredness, sorrow, and regret. "He was a great sorcerer like you. His mastery of the magic made him valuable in repairing the broken bridge. One day he retired early and came home before noon. I helped him to bed; I thought he needed rest and some hearty soup. After his meal, he told me how much I had grown from the shy girl he found in the woods. My pa, he placed a kiss upon my lips before saying he loved me and to not forget. He closed his eyes and drifted to sleep." Sigyn leaned into Loki as the memories began to tighten a noose around her neck. "Pa never woke. He died in my arms some days later, just before the climbing of the sun."

"That would have been around your twenty-second day," he commented.

"You still remember my day?" Sigyn inquired; a bit of happiness was soaking back into her words, softening them up like dough.

"Have I ever?" Loki replied.

"I thought with your absence—"

He shook his head. "I may not be present here, but that has not kept my mind from wondering to you," the slender Jotun man said. "I did plan on visiting you on your day, but Lady Potts recognized me when I went to retrieve you a cake. Needless to state, Tony Stark the Ironman with his henchmen and Thor sought to end my peaceful transaction of goods, and in the process, the Hulk squashed your cake. As punishment, I turned him into a frog. None of them knew how to change him back—"

"Except for Thor!" Sigyn interrupted. "He knew how because you placed the very same spell upon him on his day so Sif would be forced to kiss him. This was the gift you gave him." The sullenness on her face altered into laughter and smiles. Loki chuckled in fond memory of that particular prank. "Thor was the only Avenger brave enough to kiss the Hulk."

"How do you know?"

"Thor told us, Allfather and Lady Frigga," she answered. "The whole hall burst with laughter, save from Allfather. He was concerned from Thor's stories by the rapid growth of your magic." Sigyn placed the small kitten on the bed and watched as he pawed and jumped at the ruffles in the sheet. "I must say your magic has grown much. Pa would be most impressed by your skills. He always took pleasure in your gift." She took Loki's hand and stood. "He had a gift for you."

Loki followed her out of the room into the open space. In middle of the wall sat a fire that crackled madly. On either side of the fire were matching tapestries of the same scene, each only part of the whole. Underneath the closest tapestry was a rough, Vanir-crafted chest left partially open to expose Sigyn's tailoring. To his right was the open balcony. A stray vine with orange blossoms crawled along the door's frame. To his left, where Sigyn was headed, were two more doors. One obviously led to the corridor, and the other to the dressers that held her belongings. He stepped inside this room. His eyes warmed upped to the sight of the plum flower setting on top of the far table with a bowl of fruit and Aesir papers.

Sigyn returned to him with a bundle wrapped in paper and goat's thread. "This," she spoke. "Pa meant to give this to you on Thor's coronation day. He never received the chance because of the Jotuns invading Allfather's treasure room." She placed it in his hand. The woman bent down as the small kitten came prancing through Loki's legs to join them. She raced her fingers over his slick fur while Loki unwound the thread.

From underneath the wrappings, Loki pulled out a tiny, glass bottle the side of his thumb's nail. A crude cork kept the milky red substance inside the capsule. A leathery rope was threaded around the top of the bottle so one could wear the trinket as a necklace. He let the bottle swing in the air while watching with transfixed eyes, as the blood became a deeper color when in the presence of life. "What is this?" Loki inquired.

"The last drops of blood from Ymir," Sigyn explained. Carefully she untangled Loki's nimble fingers from the leather string and placed the necklace around him. The bottle fell to the middle of his chest, where, if he so chose, no one could see the gift. "Pa received this as a wedding gift from Fárbauti, Laufey's wife. She was a great sorcerer. When Pa went with Skadi to the mountains, she gave him this because he too was a greater sorcerer of his time. Pa—" She looked up to Loki. He caught her tender gaze on his sharp irises. "Felt you should be the next to have this since you are the greatest sorcerer of the present time. Pa thought of you as a son since you are kindred spirits in the art of the unexplained." There was tight smile on her face from the memory of Pa. Loki lifted a thumb to dry her leaking eyes.

"You are a child," he muttered. Loki wrapped his arms protectively around her. Her chest was shacking from the struggle to contain the sobs coming from her lonely heart. The trickster ran his hand up and down her like he was trying to sooth a baby with an aching tummy. He breathed in her lavender scent. A deep ache from his chest came alive. Loki looked outwards to the window, watching as the high sun began to descend rapidly to the ground. A despair look settled on his high cheek and lively eyes. Loki did not believe their time was ending so quickly when it had just begun. "I will make Thor return to Asgard with another story; one about how I will turn New York City's cars to ice cream."

Sigyn beamed at him through her red eyes. "I am sure that will be a wonderful laugh," she said. "But, what are cars? And ice cream? The cake you spoke of earlier? What are these foreign creatures?"

He chuckled. "Well," the god mused. "None of those are actually creatures but items. Cake and ice cream are delightful sweets; the first is a bread-like substance and the other flavored, frozen goat's milk. A car is an armor steed but without the steed. Imagine a cart that could pulled itself." Loki was leading her back to her bed, keeping his arm around her for as long as possible. She matched his pace so naturally; even their breaths were in tuned with each other. He found himself slipping back into the ol' steps. "Midgard is home to many a strange artifacts and creatures. They have the most diverse realm. If you are unprepared, you can become easily lost in their complex society."

"They sound very strange," she commented. Sigyn lied down on her bed and pulled Loki next to her. Their forelegs draped over the edge of the bed. "You have always been fond of the strange," the woman stated rhetorically. "You find beauty in the strangest of places."

"You are not so strange," he corrected. Loki rolled on top of her and kept himself braced with his hands on either side of her head. The trickster let his lips graze hers and teasingly pulled away. A strange taste lingered on his lips, a taste she could not place, coffee. Sigyn curled a hand in his clammy hair. She raised her lips to him, and he responded with a gentle nibble on her lower lip. Sigyn giggled, but she was quickly silenced as he deepened the kiss. Loki hungered for more as her taste filled him. He became aggressive and ravenous.

With great balance, Loki took a hand and began to unravel the bindings of her chest piece. With a _click_, the metal split in two. He weaved his fingers underneath the metal to grasp her breast. Massaging her breast brought a moan from her lips. Sigyn's grip tightened as she pulled him closer. Her felt the desperation in her grip and the need on her fingertips. She was aching for him, as much as he was for her.

From beneath, she moved her legs apart while he moved his inside of hers in a fluid motion. Sigyn slid her hands underneath his clothing. Her fingers ran like fire across his skin and a left a blaze in their trail. She grazed them over his chest and abdomen, their destination lower. "Sigyn," he breathed, half want and despair. She curiously opened her eyes to him. A bitter pang rang through Loki; half of it was pity for him, and the other half was anger directed towards him. "I'll be back soon to finish this." Loki rolled onto the edge of the bed hunched over.

"No," came a small plea. "P-p-pl-please do not." She sat upwards and wrapped her arms pathetically around her chest. "Make this last longer. I-I-I do not wish to wake, Loki." Sigyn shrunk; an act she did every time when he bid her a temporary farewell. There was an added misery to her quivering lips that he had never seen. "Please," she whispered but to his ears, she might as well have screamed.

"This is not goodbye," Loki reassured. She didn't buy his words. He 'sposed that she no longer trusted his words, just as the rest of the Avengers did. He forced himself off the bed. With a troubled sigh and knowing better, the sky-traveler glanced back at Sigyn. The strife on her face flushed her puffy cheeks red. The guilt sat like a rock in his gut and weighed as much as a Mjollnir on either shoulder. "Do not be difficult now, Sigyn," he said with little patience in his voice. "Have patience and wait, and I shall return in due time." He began to walk once again.

She found the floor moving beneath her feet. "Loki!" she shouted in a raw and bleeding voice. Sigyn wrapped her fingers around his forearm. "Listen—"

"No," the trickster cut off harshly. He spitefully shook his arm free of her grasp. He annoyingly eyed her, but she did not back down and shuffle back to her bed. "Listen," Loki said in a more controlled, easier on the ears voice. "I shall return to Asgard. When I do, I shall marry you. So wait, and you shall have me as you have always yearned." His eyes looked to her, sparkling with good intention.

"I am not a loose harlot, Loki," Sigyn said with spite in her voice. "Most women are married by their fifteenth day. I am seven days older than that and with my eighth soon approaching—"

"I have always made myself clear that we shall be together," he chided nonchalantly.

"When?" she bit back. "In Valhalla?"

He spun around with gasoline ready to ignite in his blood. "Watch your words," Loki hissed. "You are as insolent as Sif today."

"You would be insolent too if you were trapped here in Asgard as I am," she retorted. Sigyn straightened out the kinks in her back and squared her shoulders. Despite the clear anger in her voice and fire in her eyes, she looked as poised as young lady or possibly his queen as ever. Something snapped inside her; he saw the ripples in her eyes. Loki steadied himself for what was to come. "As my father's blood mark upon my head ended with his last breath, I became free of that blasphemous accord. Allfather, he knew of my intentions to leave this realm. He offered me two options: lose my citizenship and have liquid gold poured down my throat or become his new daughter."

"Daughter?" The word escaped his mouth before he could even register her confession.

"Loki, you know not of anything in Asgard these days." She licked her lip; a nervous habit she had picked up from Loki as a child. It was habit he had long ago broken. "I am acquainted with the conversation between you and Allfather," Sigyn explained. Loki's attention became sharp and focused like a blade. His stare was anything but kind. Not that she had expected him to be relieved that she knew, but the harsh, bitter glare in his eyes went too far. She took a step back away from his cold presence. "I-I know of what you are, Loki."

"He told you," Loki growled.

"Allfather had no choice but to tell me," Sigyn continued. He was silent; not lost for words but letting her speak and answer the questions he had running through his head. "I need to clarify and say to you that I have always been aware of why I am here in Asgard. As I was much older than you when Pa marked me as his own kin, I could recall my home and people before Asgard and the Aesir. I had to earn my citizenship to stay in Asgard with Pa. Allfather made known to me that I would be blessed with citizenship if I would speak well on the behalf of the people of Asgard. Pa thought of this pact for my citizenship to be quite simple."

"Odin gives not a gift for free," he commented rhetorically.

"As Pa and I know as well, Loki," she replied. "Neither of us knew the true intentions of Allfather until not long later. I perhaps would not have learned of them myself had I not happened onto their meeting one day. I heard Allfather state that I would be given away to Byleistr as a new bride. In return, Byleistr would solidify a treaty with Asgard; the Jotun would be granted the casket and allowed to rebuild their fallen world if they acknowledged Asgard as the ruling realm. As the Jotun are the only two realms that have not acknowledged Allfather as their reigning king, if Byleistr agreed to the treaty, then Asgard would have absolute power.

"Pa became enraged and claimed he would not sell me, even if by doing so meant peace across all the realms from here until Ragnarok. I came beside Pa, where Pa wrapped me into his arms. Pa told Allfather that as long as he lived that he would not allow Allfather to sell me. Pa threatened Allfather with war if he dare to attempt," she confessed. "Pa condemned Allfather for wanting to treat me as a pawn in his game of power. Pa let slip his tongue that he thought Allfather vile for taking the son of Laufey and filling him with false ambitions of being king when to be king was never his purpose to Allfather to begin.

"Allfather was angered by the statement of Pa. He—" She glanced unsurely to Loki. He stood like statue; his face was unreadable. "Allfather said he would be able to spare himself of losing another son if I were given to Byleistr. While he might not have taken that son out of pity but for the good of Asgard, Allfather stated he was as much a son to him as his other sons. In other words—"

"I know what he was saying," Loki spat bitterly. Suddenly the large room was too small. The air was heavy and hot. He made his way to the balcony, needing to rid himself of the claustrophobia and panic rising inside of him. The trickster placed both his hands on the rail while looking out to the starry horizon. Sigyn came beside him and placed her hand over his. He closed his eyes, all too aware of the situation. Loki felt sympathy for Sigyn. To know of one's fate had to be worse than not knowing—though by no means did he justify the lies Odin had told him over a lifetime. He didn't need to speak to finish the puzzle and see that with Njord's passing, Odin finally had the opportunity to go through with his plan.

The raw wound in his heart from Odin was bleeding at the seams time had tried to sew. A mixture of comfort bubbled from the knowledge that Odin spared him because he was his son, as much as Thor. All the same, an acidic hurt ate away at him that with Sigyn in the picture, his purpose to Asgard was next to none. Again, he found himself compared to another treasure Odin had taken. He slowly blinked as the weight of the words began to sink to his bones. Loki would be in Thor's shadows, just as Odin's two brothers had been in his. His stomach rolled over with disgust at how his father's love worked. He sighed, but the pressure in his chest continued to mount.

"Go pack your possessions, Sigyn," he spoke neutrally. She beamed at him brighter than the sun. Loki felt the warmth she radiated on his skin. Her squeezing of his hand brought a temporary numbness to the pulsing anguish behind his ribs. Her touch could clear his mind and bring a subtle smile to his thin lips. "Do not forget about Om. He is a small kitten and can be easily lost."

"I shall not," she swore merrily. Sigyn disappeared from his view. Her footsteps were loud and quick and full of excitement. He chuckled as she called out, "Om! Here, kitty kitty."

_To be continued … ?_

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><p><strong>Borrowed Mythology:<strong>

* Not really mythology, but back in ol' days, women were considered beautiful if they had an hourglass body with large curves to them. Greek artists through even the 50's painted women that had curves. To some extent, the bigger the curves were on a woman, particularly the hips, the better she would be at bearing children. To be skinny or thin was considered ugly and sickly. I assume the same ideology would be present in Asgard.

* Sigyn's blue and silver colors are meant to represent her father Njord. As he was God of the seas, I assumed she would dress in more blues and silvers than golds and browns.

* The ash is placed around the trees in the market to represent how Ymir's ashes fed the World Tree.

* According to a scripture in the book of Jotun, Sigyn is the only person to understand Loki and his actions. It is said to understand Loki, you must look at him through Sigyn's eyes.

* Sigyn is the goddess of loyalty and victory. To those who worship the Rokkor (Twilight Gods like the Jotun), she is also the god of forgiveness and the inner child. To pay tribute, she is said to be more childish in her face, ergo her large eyes, button nose, and cupid lips.

* Oh, and in the book, Sigyn is said to like the broken things and repair them.

* Loki gave Sigyn a purple flower when they first met.

* Sigyn bore him two sons, Narfi and Váli. Váli was turned into a wolf and killed Narfi. To tie this in to the story, I had one of Njord's wolves eat Sigyn's doll. Loki gave her two new dolls, Narfi and Váli. As she was still young, she claimed she could be their mother and Loki their father.

* On her fifteenth birthday, Loki proposed and wedded Sigyn with a ring. I twisted this and had him give her a ring without proposing.

* Oh yes, that ring? Loki had to become a woman for a dwarf while the dwarf forged the ring.

* According to some practices of Norse mythology, if a man wore a key on his person, that represented a woman's authority in their life. In the Book of Jotun, a shaman says he pays tribute to Sigyn by wearing one of these rings.

* Loki is a playboy and likes to screw around with other women, but the shamans claim Loki's heart only belongs to one woman, Sigyn.

* Hostage King Njord is indeed a hostage. After the Vanir-Aesir war, he and his blood relatives are to stay in Asgard for the rest of their lives. As Sigyn is adopted, I figure Njord would have placed a blood mark on her to show that she is his kin; however, when he dies, that blood mark would fade. She then would no longer be bound by the treaty.

* Sigyn was adopted by Njord when she was around 5 or 6, but her heritage is never explained. She was said to be very shy as child.

* Njord was a master of witchcraft and fond of Loki in mythology.

* Ymir was the first person and Jotun created in the World Tree. He gave rise to the Vanir and Aesir. The Aesir would later slay him. To punish the Jotun, the Aesir drowned all but two in Ymir's blood.

* Aesir architecture is suppose to be very complicated and organized.

* Njord was married to Skadi, a Jotun, for a brief time. He had to spend 9 nights there before they got a divorce.

* Byleistr is a Jotun, first son to Laufey. Helblindi is thought to be either another son of Laufey or the Jotun name for Odin. Scholars are still debating over it. One of the reasons they believe Helblindi is another name for Odin is because Odin and Loki considered each other blood brothers-not father-son relationship.

* Yes, when the Vanir-Aesir war began, Odin poured gold down a poor Vanir maiden's throat.

* Yes, quite a bit of mythology jammed into one chapter. I am sorry for the overload.

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><p><strong>Borrowed Marvel Information:<strong>

* In the comics, Loki and Sigyn were married; though, it was not a happy relationship.

* In the movie, Thor barges into a pet shop wanting a horse. The clerk, if you remember, says they only have birds, cats, and dogs. Thor demands he gives him one of those that is big enough to ride. I am going to assume then that people in Asgard have no idea about a cat, dog, or bird.

* Oh, Thor didn't know of some of the beverages in Midgard either. I am going to assume that Asgard does not have coffee, cake, ice cream, etc... like we do here. I feel sorry for them...

* In the comics, Loki turned Thor into a frog at one point.

* In another comic, Loki turned several things (people, animals, and items) into ice cream for the fun of it. He may be the God of Evil in the comics, but he is also the God of Mischief. I figure if he's going to evil, he's going to have some fun with it.

* Fárbauti is the wife of Laufey and mother to Loki. It is never stated whether she died in battle or not.

* In the comics, Odin had some other sons by Frigga; however, Frigga did not want them to be killed, so Odin gave them up to other families in Asgard. He was left with only Thor and Loki to raise.

* In the comics, Sigyn is not so shy as she is in mythology. I figure she has out grown her shyness.


	2. Chapter 2

**We're Running Up Hill**

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><p>Sigyn fluttered her eyes open to a dark world. The small light that came from the doorway was the force that had woken her. A blurry shadow came forward and shut the door behind him. She flinched at the sharp sound of the door clicking into place. Her ears felt like they were bleeding again. She groaned out her misery. The tired fibers in her muscles were throbbing and stiff. The bottoms of her feet felt as if she had walked a thousand miles of boiling sand in the high sun. The cool covers were soothing on her blisters. She curled her fingers in the white silk material. Even that small movement sent an angry spike of pain through her nervous system.<p>

She clawed at her mind, trying to recall the source of this pain. All the goddess could remember was coming back to Loki with her few possessions slung into a bag on her shoulder and Om clawing in her arm at her hair. Him, he took her hand. Then she was here in the dark. Her pillow ruffled as the weight of another was placed there. The small kitten rubbed his head adoringly against her crown while purring. Tears streamed down her face at the loud, obnoxious sound of his motor.

To the other side of the bed, the sound of layers of clothes being shed off and tossed to the floor were as painful at the kitten's goddamn motor. A cry escaped her mouth as she rolled over to the other person. She swore her skin was on fire and burning and bleeding. Even her bones felt like they were being broken over and over again by some force inside her body. The quivering from the pain only brought on more in a vicious cycle.

A cool hand was placed arm. His thumb gently rubbed against her skin and felt a cool numbness begin to spread. "I did not mean to wake you," Loki whispered. He crawled underneath the covers with her. The trickster placed a kiss on her lips before letting his forehead rest against hers. The heavy medication was sinking into her skin, dragging her back to the depths of a dream or maybe reality—Sigyn really had no idea. She closed her eyes. "The pain will wear off soon." He sounded nothing short of exhaustion.

Sigyn curled towards him and wrapped her arms around his chest. He was back, and she wasn't going to let go, even if this were a dream. She would hold onto him for as long as possible. Loki was cold. She might have said bitter cold but at this moment, the feeling of his cool skin was relief. "Do not leave me," her husky voice begged into his skin.

"Shh," he hushed. "Sleep."

The magic was weaving into her body could not be overcome. Sigyn fell limp next to Loki.

Again, another light came pouring into the room; this time, it leaked through the ebony blinds of the room. She opened her heavy eyes to the alabaster ceiling chilling out far above her. Sigyn turned her head to the left. There was an open space between she and the far wall filled with large, rectangular windows. She noted the flooring was a strange mix of a smooth rocky texture and scattered black and gray hues in the white.

Sigyn rolled onto her other side. Lying on top of the white covers were her two dolls, Narfi and Váli. The dolls were made out of wood and ballpoint joints, but their tough inner structure was coated in soft sheepskin; the white wool was of course shaved away. Their bodies were crafted to proportion, save for the head, which was large compared to their bodies. Narfi was different from his brother in facial structure; he had a strong face while Váli had a very angular jaw line. Narfi's face had the high cheekbones, compared to his brother's that were soft and smooth. Both of them had her golden locks and Loki's jade eyes. Each were dressed in formal Aesir tire that resembled Loki's.

A frown made its way to her face. Loki had obviously replaced his presence with theirs. She sighed. Not that she was surprised—he had a very bad habit of leaving without a word for weeks to months on end. But the disappoint lingered on her shoulders. Her heart beat with less sincerity.

Sigyn was careful not to disturb the dolls as she sat. Across from the bed, resting in a white, smooth vase on top of a black chest was the wine flower. Its deep colored, lacy petals hung below it like a skirt. Brighter plum petals were poofy and tightly packed together. They built up in a cone shape. At the very center, yellow stems shot up and then dangled down like water droplets. Above the flower loomed a strange, rectangular like device. It was black as night but managed to catch a few glares from the intruding sunlight on its sleek surface. Sigyn tilted her head to the side, wondering if this was another one of Loki's projects.

She scooted off the bed. She stared down at her nude body. Sigyn shook her head since she already knew who the culprit was. On the nightstand she had originally overlooked was a note on top of fluffy, white robe. She flipped open the note and read in the chicken scratch handwriting, "Fetching breakfast. Have a look around. Do not leave the dwelling."

She smiled at the note.

With her robe on, Sigyn walked out of the room. She was hit by the strange sound of gears churning and angry animals growling. Cautiously she was drawn to the large, spacey room with two white walls and two clear windows that made up the other two walls. Again, the furniture was white with black accents. The small table in between the two couches was made out of glass. A bowl of aging fruit rested on the tabletop. The goddess stood over the bowl. She took out of the bowl a banana. Sigyn bit into it. The skin was vile and bland, but the inside was interesting and tasty. She pulled back the skin to eat more of the fruit.

She noticed another one of those strange, black windows hanging on a wall. Using the tips of her toes, Sigyn stretched and struggled to reach the bottom of the television. Her fingers scrapped against a hidden button. A white light flashed on the black box. Sigyn flung herself back onto the couch as a voice began to fill the room. The face of Tony Stark appeared on the television.

Her heart jumped into her throat and was racing away at million miles per second. The hairs along the back of her neck stood up on end. Sigyn curled her arms around her legs to protect herself from the intruder. "Who are thee?" she yelled. "What are you doing in Loki's hall?"

Tony Stark continued to rattle on about blah, blah, and more blah blah blah about robotics in New York City.

She stood up with her posture perfect, even by the cruelest of paparazzi eyes. Never had Sigyn endured so much insult since Theoric's last comment. Clearly he was not raised with any manners. Though she was not spiteful by nature, she found herself going through a list of names by which to insult him and his honor. "I ask you to answer me, good sir!" Sigyn shouted.

He ignored her, the bastard!

"Answer me!"

The camera panned to show the blonde reporter next to Stark. Confusion racked her brain. With light, skittish steps of a young foal, Sigyn gradually approached the television. Clearly, this was a one-way device that granted one the ability to see far away. An excitement smile blessed her lips. She had thought Heimdall was the only person gifted with the ability to see faraway. Her sudden fear was joy. "In all that is gold in Asgard," she spoke softly, bewildered. Sigyn watched intently on Stark. She had heard so many stories of the man from Thor, but now that she had a face to him, he seemed real.

Sigyn looked to the windows.

Could this actually be real?

Did Loki bring her to Midgard?

She pressed a hand to the window. The glass was warm from the sunlight that bathed the whole room in light and hope. Sigyn looked up to the sky. She was so close to the clouds; a part of her wanted to open a window and touch one of the wandering clouds and see what it was thinking. Her eyes felled stories below to the ground. A gasp escaped her. "What in the World Tree?" she asked her fylgja.

She saw the people—well, she assumed the tiny, moving dots that looked like flies walking around—moving on dull colored roads. A darker road ran parallel with the sidewalk where strange, metallic beasts that cried angrily at each other. From these yellow beasts, some people would emerge and others would go into the belly. There were market people with carts on every corner, selling some goods. Colorful signs with words she did not know where constantly changing. They were as grand as Loki's own illusions. Sigyn could not imagine how a place like this could exist. It seemingly broke the mold of the nine realms. Now she understood that this place, this realm, was nothing like the others. Already, in her—to be technically, this place was Loki's apartment—dwelling, she felt overwhelmed and so very, _very_ small.

So caught up in the world, she did not hear the footsteps creeping behind her. Sigyn jumped out of her skin when the trickster placed a hand on her hip. She grinned from ear-to-ear at him. Loki looked very strange with a snowy shirt, silver tie, and black blaze. Even the jeans were odd because they loose. He didn't even have any boots on either. She couldn't help but giggle at how silly he appeared. Loki raised an eyebrow. He knew what she was giggling at, but he would play along like he knew nothing.

Then shyly she looked down at the magical city. She radiated with wonder and delight. Her excitement was like electricity on her skin. "Those things on the dark road are the cars I spoke of," Loki commented. He placed his other hand on the other side of her hip. The trickster landed a kiss on her shoulder while looking at the world through her eyes.

The god did not dislike this world. In fact, he felt rather at home in their chaotic society. Every day he found something new to marvel here. His mind was filled with questions about this realm that he would eventually answer after putting Thor in his rightful place as second.

Now he was sharing this realm with someone actually worthy. To say he felt smug by bringing her here was an understatement. This, he knew in his heart, was the greatest gift he had ever given her. Seeing the realm of mortals could never be matched with his crafty words forged on his silver tongue. Sometimes, you had to see and experience things in order to comprehend them to their fullest. His arms got away from him and wrapped around her abdomen. Holding her there, watching her drown in curiosity, and simply having a moment alone with her for the first time in two mortal years was so very satisfying. Loki sighed contently into her skin.

He wouldn't mind standing there with her there for fifty mortal years, but the food would go bad by then. Not to mention, Loki was sure that the Belgian waffles were already beginning to go saggy on him.

"Thank you," Sigyn whispered.

"Hmm?" His eyes slid to hers, but she was already looking at him.

"The note," she clarified. "That was nice to actually know why you had disappeared."

"Do not become accustomed to me leaving notes for you," Loki answered in his velvety voice. Though his tone was light, she did not miss the underlying, dark truth to his words. She sighed in defeat; if defeat could even count since this was never a battle to begin. "I have breakfast, Sigyn," he offered.

"I am not hungry," she replied.

"You are not?" he huffed. "Well, that was a waste of a trip. There is no pleasing you, Sigyn." His voice reeked of sarcasm. "I-I-I-" Loki closed his eyes and shook his head. "I am simply at a lost of what to do now." He tossed his hands helplessly into the air before walking away in an overly dramatic manner.

Her cheeks were sore from smiling. She stared at him as he walked around in a circle, running his hands through his long hair, and looking distressed. She was left in his dust to wonder what he was up to because Loki always was two, three, or more likely a hundred steps in front of her. "You are such a woman," Sigyn said lightly.

He stopped in front of her with his hands on his hips. "Oh?" he asked, his voice higher pitched than normal. The sky-traveler's face softened; he didn't lose his face's sharp, angular touch, but it was becoming more feminine. His—err her hands were delicate and slender. Loki's breasts showed by straining her shirt and blaze. Lady Loki, as Sigyn had so affectionately come to call his feminine half, had luscious, coal hair that was curly and wavy like Sigyn's. Like in her male form, she was slender and came with a dangerous edge. But in those manly clothes, that edge was lost.

Sigyn couldn't contain the burst of laughter.

"Why is this so funny?" she chided. He—she sounded so serious.

She laughed harder.

The top of her forehead was beginning to wrinkle with frustration. The tip of her nose had little wrinkles too. "This is not a joke," she retorted. Lady Loki jabbed a finger at Sigyn to reinforce her point.

"Loki, stop," she begged through her laughter. Sigyn doubled over and grabbed her sore sides.

"That is Lady Loki to you," Loki said with disgust. "You have no manners."

She calmed herself enough to stand somewhat straight. If Frigga had her way, she would be picking away at Sigyn's pose and correcting her for all her flaws and un-lady-like composure. But staying composed around Loki when he was in one of his—err, again, her fits. "I am terribly sorry, Lady Loki," she apologized. Sigyn bowed before her. Lady Loki sneered at the bow before smiling with approval.

"That you should be," she enforced.

"I really should be appreciative, too," Sigyn played along.

"Very appreciative," the goddess confirmed.

"After all, I am not socially permitted to be alone with a man," she reminded. "Women, as you know, are vile creatures who can seduce a man by simply looking at them wrongly." Sigyn eyed Lady Loki, and Lady Loki raised an eyebrow to the young lady. Lady Loki crossed her arms and began to tap her manicured finger impatiently. "We woman are temptation personified." She came tauntingly close to Loki. The trickster's eyes meandered in between the folds of fabric to reach her breasts. Sigyn, seeing where her eyes were, could not hold back the need to press them against her. She smiled at the strain from the concentration in Lady Loki's round eyes.

"Your point is?" she inquired.

Sigyn shrugged. "You know," she mused. "Since we are women, I can be free without worry of accidentally seducing you. As you are another woman, you are able to help me dress appropriately…" Sigyn pulled away but not without missing that pouty purse of Lady Loki's lips. "I would hate to accidentally seduce a man because I was too great of a temptation."

She hungrily watched Sigyn move around the room and swing her feminine curves from side-to-side. Sigyn was just luring him back now. Lady Loki hated to admit, but she was doing a pretty damn good job at baiting her. "In that case, nothing you wear is going to make you any less of a temptation," she spoke. "The only deterrent I can see that would keep you from accidentally seducing a man is to have a man at your side whenever possible."

"That seems rather ironic," Sigyn answered. "To have a man at your side? How foolish of an idea."

"Foolish?" She walked towards Sigyn; though, her steps were more like stalking as she herded Sigyn towards the couch. Carefully she pulled up one of Sigyn's legs to inspect the temptation. "I think not. I believe the goal is not to seduce many men; however, to seduce one and only one man is appropriate—" Lady Loki placed the leg around her hip. "If not socially accepted."

"Yes, it is appropriate to seduce one man," she agreed. Sigyn was brought on the couch with Lady Loki pinned beneath. She pulled up the ends of the white shirt and began to unbutton the tight shirt. "I have no one man—" Lady Loki grasping her butt suddenly caught her off guard. The lady possessively gazed up at the daring, single woman she found herself coming back to.

"Well, I do have one man in my sights," Sigyn admitted. "But he is always wandering away, no matter how many times I seduce him. I have to be doing something wrong." Her voice ended very seriously, gloomy. Sigyn was looking to her with not a smile on her face because the truth was too depressing. "I do not know why he does not marry me. If he worries that I will stray because he is gone so much or simply because I am nothing more than his favorite harlot."

The raw strain in her voice broke her concentration. Her feminine features blew over into masculine features. His long, luscious hair faded back into the nothing. Loki brought her close to his chest. She laid her head down in the gap between his neck and shoulder. "You are doing nothing wrong," the trickster assured. He felt her doubt crawling around in her skin like parasites. Loki rubbed his hands over the parasites to swat them away. He could not swat away his own parasites; the ones that came out to gnaw away at his ribs whenever he brought out the worst in her. His throat constricted and became annoyingly scratchy.

The guilt came in heavy waves that left his soul struggling to stay above the water. Too often he found himself drowning in the tears she had cried for him; some that he had caused when his pranks went too far, when he disappeared and came back injured, when he denied to her that he had been with another woman, the names people called her for being with him, and then the times when he made her feel small and insignificant. For everything he had done to make her cry, she still waited for him. Sigyn had her chances to be with better men than he. They were the men who wouldn't make her cry or tear her apart by the words he had yet to say.

Part of his heart was elated because through it all, Loki knew he would never have to worry about losing her.

She was the one who had worry about losing Loki every time he left her sight.

All at the same time, he was enraged with her. Sigyn knew better than to believe he would be bound by anything. That was a blatant lie. He was already bound to her; a little silver string tied around his neck always brought him back to her heart. Every woman was great but only during the sex. Sigyn managed to be great all the time. She was playful, which he needed since he could hardly ever be taken seriously. She was the heater that thawed the ice that built up when he was around people. She was simply what he needed and wanted all wrapped in one.

It was not like everyone did not already know they weren't together. He could hardly keep his hands off of her when in public. Loki had jealously turned her first suitor, Theoric, into a boar that was eaten for dinner. That was a clear indication to anyone that she was _his_ bride. After that incident, any wannabe suitors knew better than to actually try to earn Sigyn's hand. Being turned into bacon and ham was not exactly a pleasant fate…

Like everything else in his life, he was the source of his own damn problems … and everyone else around him.

_Fuck_.

A punch rolled through his gut. He closed his eyes so Sigyn wouldn't see the pain hiding behind his irises. Though, she was perceptive and felt the venom crawling in his veins by how he gripped her robe. "I do love you, Sigyn," he murmured tenderly and for a rare moment, the truth. "You are the only woman I have ever loved. There is nothing any woman, including yourself, can do to change that. Is that clear?"

She was silent.

"I love you," Sigyn sighed.

All together that answer was a billion times better than a yes or no. He felt the drumming of his heart every time she said those three little words to him. Loki felt like a boy again, helplessly hopeful and so alive. Yet, his stomach was turning into a pretzel with all the knots from rolling over on itself with her indefinite answer.

"Where is my ring, Loki?" she asked. He was relieved—much too relieved that it raised concerns—that she changed the topic. Again, Sigyn always knew how to let go of the sad and depressing and move on. In her own way, she was the one who was always on the move to avoid the cruelty of life, and he was the one who was staying in the past, unmoving.

"Oh, that thing," Loki spoke indifferently. "Well, I am having a bit of difficulty trying to remember where I put—" She swallowed his words with her lips. Her smile brought a smile to his face. Really, smiles were just as contagious as yawns; at least when they came from Sigyn. He growled when she stole her lips back. Loki lifted his head but she back away. Every time he thought he would plant a kiss on her lips, she moved them just out of his reach, till finally he was sitting up. Sigyn greedily turned her head away. "You shall never get your ring back with an attitude like that, Sigyn."

"Then what am I suppose to do?" the goddess asked. She looked suspiciously to him, almost smiling and anticipating his next move.

He placed his chin on his hands while he thought. "Well, I might have left the ring at the Waffle Restaurant when I went to grab our breakfast," Loki explained quite seriously. "I can always retrieve the ring on my own, but—" He gazed at her innocently. She saw the trickster had the eyes of angel. In them, Sigyn could see her reflection immersed in his green soul; she supposed it was a permanent tattoo on his soul. "I cannot leave you alone. You might accidentally seduce another man because of your—" He flicked his eyes lustily to her breasts. "Temptation."

Sigyn giggled. "That surprisingly makes a lot of sense," she complimented. "I see no other logical choice but to accompany you." He conceitedly eyed her. Before she even had time to react, his lips were back on hers. Loki trapped her in his arms so she couldn't wiggle her way out. The way her mouth melted against his, the god doubted he even needed to hold her to stay, but he wanted to. Loki felt she needed to be held there and be reminded that she was _his_ bride.

"You should really get ready," he whispered teasingly on her lips. "I might not be able to keep all those men from seducing you in that outfit."

"Well, what am I going to wear?" she inquired. "I did not bring any clothes with me."

"I might have a thing or two for you," Loki admitted.

"Just so long as I do not look as ridiculous as you."

"Oh, of course not," he promised. She leaned against him, content again for the present moment. Loki flicked his eyes to the window as two ravens swooped down from the heavens. He did not miss their golden eyes that shimmered like liquid. The beginnings of a frown sprouted on his pale face. There mere sight of them tarnished the moment of having Sigyn rest against him like a young child. He gripped her harder, eyeing the twins angrily. He had a suppress a growl coming from the depths of his throat. The god buried his brows together when they left his sight. He could hear the clock already beginning to tick away at the time he had left with Sigyn. Loki cradled her head with his slim hand, running his fingers through her hair, plotting how to stop the clock.

The twin ravens, Huginn on the left and Muninn on the right, twisted and turned with the spiraling, out-of-control winds that blew through the city's glass and steel canyons. The only differences between the two ravens were the brutal scars along Muninn's face. Part of his right eye was shattered and leaked the melting gold on his face. A chronic but not life threatening infection of puss and blood dripped down the wound to his chin. The wound never healed because the scabs were never able to stay on long enough to allow his body to properly heal. Muninn, poor ol' Muninn, he was too terrified that the healers would remove his eye if he ever went to them. Odin felt no sympathy for him when the healers could fix him, if only he let 'em.

Huginn flew in front of his brother, scouting and observing the buildings, trying to pick out the one building that blended in as another, bland building.

They flapped their wings in unison against the wind. With their sharp talons, they ripped and scratched the smooth layer of steel on the windowsill. Muninn shook his head and let out a squeal as the blistering gold dripped onto his cracked beak. Huginn squawked back at his brother and barely avoided the gold droplets that sought to burn him as well. Muninn hung his head lowly and ruffled his feathers unhappily.

Huginn looked inside the window at Darcy sitting at the table with Sif and Fandral. Darcy lingered in her mismatched Spongebob shorts and Universal Studios t-shirt from years back in high school. She had her head placed on her hand and eyes closed. Fandral was sitting across from her with a black coffee in hand. He looked like he had been awake for hours, and mostly likely had been since he was a morning person. Not to either raven's surprise, he was looking through a Nordstrom magazine. Of all the newly immigrated Asgardians, Fandral was the only one to stick with more of their style. He had the khaki, cut-loose pants with black, knee-high boots. He had his long, white sleeves rolled up to his elbows.

Sif was in between the sleepy beauty and egomaniac. Her ebon' hair was pulled back into a high ponytail. She had a low-cut, black shirt on with the Avenger's insignia engraved on the top, left side. The shirt clung to her pin-straight body. Beneath the table, the ravens couldn't see her boot-cut jeans and clogs. Sif lifted her blue eyes to the light tapping from the window. "Huginn, Muninn," she greeted.

Fandral turned to the pair of ravens. He slid out from his metal chair to open the window. Darcy blinked her eyes as the two ravens floated into the kitchen of their headquarters. "Odin mail so soon?" she yawned. "He should just get some internet and Gmail so you two can take a vacation."

The ravens' feathers melted into black, matte armor that was as sleek as their feathers were in their bird forms. The messengers were darker than Heimdall but shared the same, golden irises as the gatekeeper. Darcy appeared unnerved by their strange appearance. Something about how the eyes stood out so much against their dark skin and armor was unnatural. There was burning sensation she felt every time they looked at her with those inhuman eyes. She grimaced at Muninn's white, bleached skin that festered with cooling gold, red blood, and gooey green shit that smelled like the bad end of a cow. In his human form, his face was becoming deformed and sunken; his face was really, only a shell of what had once been.

There were faint traces of Huginn in Muninn. Darcy assumed at one time both the ravens looked identical, but now, only Huginn was somewhat normal … if you called being dark chocolate with gold eyes normal. Like Muninn, his raven straight hair fells to the floor like a cape. Huginn's face was rough diamond shaped with a large mouth, a small and crooked nose, and lacked eyebrows for some weird, godly reason.

Sif stood up to come to Fandral's side. The twins bowed before the warrior lady. "Where is Crowning Prince Thor Odinson, Lady Sif?" the two chimed together.

"He is not here," Sif answered. "What message do you carry for him from Allfather?"

"A very important one," the two replied.

"Will you two please stop talking in unison?" Darcy complained. "It's freaky."

The ravens nodded to the mortal. "Our apologies, Lady Darcy Lewis," they admitted. The twins turned their head as she sighed, pinching her nose. They turned their vigilant gaze to Sif. "Allfather stated all of the Avengers and their allies should be aware of the recent happening in Asgard concerning Prince Loki Odinson and Lady Sigyn Odinson."

Fandral and Sif looked to each other, grim but unsurprised. Darcy stared in wonder the conversation they shared with just a simple, all-telling look of understanding the situation. "What occurred?" he inquired while breaking his gaze from Sig.

"Allfather woke during the night with the feeling of an invader in the palace in the room of Lady Sigyn Odinson. Allfather stormed into the room to find Prince Loki Odinson with Lady Sigyn Odinson on the balcony. After a brief exchange of words, Prince Loki Odinson managed to escape from Allfather with Lady Sigyn Odinson," they explained with great care to the trio. "Lady Sigyn Odinson is with Prince Loki Odinson as of now. Prince Loki Odinson is not only hiding his presence from Heimdall but that of Lady Sigyn Odinson. Allfather asks that Lady Sigyn Odinson be brought back to Asgard; this is not a request but an order."

"To find her will not be an easy task," Fandral clarified. "Finding her will be harder than finding Loki. We have enough problems trying to locate Loki as—"

"Allfather demands Lady Sigyn Odinson be brought back to Asgard," Huginn and Muninn spat.

"Why the rush?" Sif inquired.

"The longer Lady Sigyn Odinson is with Prince Loki Odinson, the less likely Lady Sigyn Odinson will be recovered," they spoke impatiently. "This, Lady Sif and Sir Fandral the Dashing, you know already to be true. We request to speak to Crowning Prince Thor Odinson about this happening."

"He's gone," Darcy commented. "He's at the Waffle Restaurant with Steve, Volstagg, and Tony."

"We shall fetch him then," the ravens spoke. They turned around to head for their windowsill.

He jumped in front of them with him outstretched to halt Huginn. "No, no!" Fandral cut off. "You cannot do that."

"Why not?" There was no patience left in their spiteful, screechy voices.

Darcy wanted no more than to shove a cork down both their windpipes to shut them up. But then Darcy chuckled while they looked confused at Fandral's statement. "Have you seen what you two look like?" Her brown eyes searched them from head to toe, just trying to find something normal about them. "Your more likely to start a riot than to deliver Odin mail to Thor."

"Then fetch him for us," they hissed.

"Of course," Fandral complied with an exaggerated bow before the royal messengers. "We three shall go fetch him." He walked to Darcy, placing his hand over her mouth before she caused the ravens to molt their long hair for feathers. She glared angrily at him, but struggling against him as he dragged her out of the kitchen was useless. Damn Asgardians and their strength!

Sif waited till Fandral and Darcy were out of earshot to speak. She eyed them suspiciously while crossing her arms. "What more are you not telling me?" she asked intolerantly. They only remained silent. "Whatever you have to tell Thor, he will tell me and the rest of the Avengers. There is no use in holding back information that I can tell him on our way back here."

They were silent still.

She groaned. "The two of you are idiots," Sif complained, storming out of the kitchen.

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><p><strong>Review and Answer:<strong>

_To MaverikFlame:_ Starting stories has never been my strong point. My stories start off slowly walking and then take off running within a few chapters. I suppose that is because during the first two or three chapters I am still getting used to the characters and a feel for their personalities. Odin in particular is a personality that I love because even though he is considered the god of wisdom, he is also the god of deceit and slaying. I love the irony with him. I have found it a shame that no one on here has explored that yet.

_To JannaKalderash:_ I've heard he's a child in the new comics, but I haven't read the comics themselves. All I know is that in those comics he is the protagonist ... so far. I would be very interested to see if they did bring Sigyn back into the comic and how she would fit into the whole scheme. Thank you for putting the story on your alerts!

_To Not-so Lazy Reviewer:_ Very awesome name. I laughed when I read it! Loki is very much a jerk, even around Sigyn. I know in the old comics Loki was a bastard to Sigyn because she kept trying to keep him contained and out of trouble, and he felt he was being smothered. He was really, really nasty to her in that comic-verse. Though, at the end, he did show he did care for her. If I remember correctly, he even apologized?

_To Ikuni Hattori:_ I'm glad you enjoyed it! Hopefully you liked this chapter just as much! Ironically, you reviewed on the same day I updated! So that wasn't too long of a wait.

_To Byebye-babeh:_ That book is so awesome! Some of the stuff in there is weird, but the information is useful nonetheless. Thank you again for showing me it!

* * *

><p><strong>Borrowed Mythology:<strong>

* Fylgja is a female spirit that is attached to a person at birth. They act as guardian angels and only reveal themselves to the person right before they die. However, sometimes they are seen in their host's dreams, or in rare cases, present themselves to their host when they are awake.

* Huginn and Muninn are Odin's ravens. They act like messengers for him. In the epic poem, Odin says he is more concerned for Muninn than Huginn. He really likes to play favorites...

* Loki in mythology is able to change into a woman.

* In the old days, women were not suppose to be alone with men. There are many norse proverbs that say women are vile creatures that cannot be trusted because of how easily they can seduce a man.

* Loki slept with a quite a few women in mythology... He supposedly had children by these women. I mean more than just Sigyn and Angerboda. No one knows if these are lies or the truth.

* Even though Loki is her burden, she does continue to love him unconditionally. In a poem attested to them, Sigyn is said to be able to bring the joy out of Loki.

* * *

><p><strong>Borrowed Marvel Information: <strong>

* Loki does have a woman form in the comics, but this only comes around when he possesses Sif's body.

* Loki denied sleeping with women to Sigyn's face.

* In the old comics, Loki did kill Theoric out of jealousy for trying to marry Sigyn.

* For a long time, Loki resents marrying Sigyn. Even begs Allfather to annul the marriage at one point. So I tried to mix this up and show that even though he does love Sigyn, he's a bit of a commitment phobe.

* At some point in the comics, Loki does admit he is grateful for Sigyn. I believe they do make up after being estranged for years...


	3. Chapter 3

**We're Running Up Hill**

* * *

><p>They were walking down the bustling streets, having to push and shove the mortals aside, and then of course grabbing and dragging Darcy by her hand just to keep up with them. She was tripping over her flip-flops or stepping on the ends of her flared and distressed jeans. The mortal was still trying to zip up her ACDC jacket to cover up her pajama top. She groaned at the fact that they were walking instead of taking a cab this early in the morning. Her asthma was tickling her throat because of the quick pace.<p>

"Hurry up, Darcy!" Sif barked.

Darcy placed her hands on her knees and took in deep, heavenly breaths of oxygen. The air tasted so sweet on her tongue; the mortal never thought smog and gasoline in the air could taste good. She closed her eyes, so very, _very_ thankful for the do not cross sign. "Why doesn't Fandral just carry me?" she gasped. "He's strong enough with that Asgardian, godly strength."

"We're trying not to bring attention to ourselves," she remarked hastily. "We do _not_ want to tip off Loki that we know of what has happened in Asgard. If he even suspects we are onto him and Sigyn, he shall not hold back to kill us. Worse yet, he shall hide Sigyn and place every protective spell upon her flesh."

"I think dying is worse," the mortal disagreed. Sif glowered unconvinced at Darcy. There was a hint of disgust for her statement. She rolled her eyes at the Asgardian, still not understanding how choosing to live could be seen as a cowardly act. Darcy uneasily stood and zipped her jacket. "So why would Loki kidnap his own sister? Isn't the family feud big enough?"

"Sigyn is Loki's bride," Fandral explained.

Darcy contorted her lips in shock, disgust, and surprise. "_Ew_," she spoke. "Incest is really accepted in Asgard? You guys are disgusting. And that's-that's so wrong on _so many_ levels!"

"They are_ not _blood related," Sif commented.

"She's only recently become part of the royal family," he clarified. "Loki began to court Sigyn when she was part of the clan of Hostage King Njord. When Loki left Asgard, she was still part of Njord's family. Only after Njord died, Odin adopted Sigyn." Fandral yanked her arm as they took off at a hasty pace through the thicket of people. Darcy gave on trying to keep up. She simply let her feet drag against the concrete.

"Why would Odin need to adopt Sigyn?" she probed deeper.

"She was not related to Njord by blood nor married, so she was considered an orphan," he answered. "Sigyn would be no more than a peasant. I imagine Odin felt sorry that she would lose her title as a princess of Asgard and took her in out of sympathy."

"And now she's Loki's hostage," Darcy said in a flat tone.

"Hostage?" Sif choked on the word. She laughed at the mortal. "I _refuse_ to believe she is his hostage. Accomplice would be more suiting for her."

"So they are like what? Boyfriend, girlfriend?"

"Yes," she answered curtly.

"_Very _much so," Fandral drawled on. "You might say to an unhealthy level."

Now Darcy was intrigued by the mystery lurking on his words; yet, she wasn't shocked either. Loki was a grade A asshole and bastard that made Tony seem like a gentleman, even on his worst of days. So, to imagine Loki as a wife beater, possessive, and overly controlling boyfriend was not too much of a long shot. "Well, I can see the need to find her before Loki decides to murder her as well."

"Oh, no, no!" he corrected her. "Loki would_ never_ harm Sigyn."

"Really?" she questioned. "Then why is the relationship unhealthy?"

Sif sighed. Explaining Asgardian drama to mortals was never, ever easy, much less entertaining. "Loki and Sigyn," she began, already exhausted from the thought of the duo. "They are a couple; if there was any doubt that they were not a couple, then Loki cleared up that confusion the day he turned Theoric into a boar after he asked for Sigyn's hand in marriage. Of course, as a boar, no one knew that he was Theoric. He was slaughtered and eaten at dinner that night."

Her mouth dropped to the ground. "Crazy bastard," Darcy commented.

"That is an understatement, Darcy," Sif stated. "Loki is fiercely protective of his bride. He would only dare bring her with him if he knew for certain that Sigyn would be safe with him. Otherwise, I doubt Loki would have brought her here." She took her elbow and jabbed a man to the side to clear a path for Fandral and Darcy. Somehow, pushing the man down to the ground felt a little too satisfying. If only he had Loki's face, then she would be grinning like a mad woman. "Sigyn is a very sweet, genuine, feminine woman. She too agrees that women should not be oppressed and restrained to the duties of the household. She is very politically active but not actually a true politician."

"She sugarcoats all her insults so that you do not actually know that she told you to go to hell," Fandral interjected. "Sigyn is the type to make you feel good on your way to hell."

Sif nodded. "She is a very warm, sincere person. Sigyn is very light-hearted and playful—childish to an extent. But—" She thought for a moment while taking a deep breath. The warrior chewed on the top of her tongue, trying to find the words. "There is an underlining darkness to her that comes out at times. Not like Loki, but when you look at her, you know that before Njord, she saw _things_. Sigyn can become a bit overwhelming then."

"What do you mean by _things_?" Darcy asked further.

"_Things_ are _things_," Fandral answered.

"That's _not_ helpful," the mortal complained.

"That is about as helpful as we can be," Sif clarified. She sighed and shoved her way to the old door that smell like gasoline, rubber, and faintly pine. "I cannot say badly about Sigyn because we are on good terms, other than she has a poor choice in men. She could have any man she pleases, and for some odd reason, she continues to stay with Loki. She is so fiercely loyal to him that is breaks her heart at times because he is not as loyal." Maybe, for a split second, there was a hint of empathy for Sigyn's situation, but quickly, that disappeared because Sigyn chose a path of heartbreak. Sif had no sympathy for those who caused their own grief.

"They are meant for each other," he added. Sif shot him a dirty glare, but he let it slide off of him, which only aggravated the goddess. He looked chipper down at Darcy. "They compliment each other; very in tune with the other person. I am not going to say they are the perfect couple because I know for a fact they aren't, but—" He shrugged. "You shall understand if you ever see them together."

"Indeed," Sif finished. She pulled open the door and slid into the Waffle Restaurant with Fandral and Darcy close behind her.

The place was bustling with customers drooling with the smell of bacon frying and waffles drowning in syrup and good ol' heart clogging, fat as a cow butter. There was a small bar ahead with a dozen or so chairs lined against the cherry wood counter; each and every one of them were full with chatty, older men who came here every morning to drink coffee and discuss the news. The dark wooden floor was scratched and dull from age. The light, mellow yellow walls held famous newspaper articles and special captured with the occupants in the restaurant over the years.

The rest of the restaurant opened after travelling through a narrow hallway. Sif led them through the small corridor where her eyes rested upon Thor in the far corner with about ten or so plates stacked haphazardly on one another. Still there were more plates with waffles, bacon, cereal, and fresh fruit on them. Half of it seemed to have ended up on Thor's tight, blue shirt.

Tony was leaning on his wooden chair's last two legs; feet propped up on the table. His grey jacket hung off the table and his pants were dangerously close to a bowl of syrup. The mortal's red tie seemed like a bloodstain on his white shirt. In his hand he brought a cup of coffee to his lips.

Steve was in a loose, red shirt and jeans. He was not like Thor who wore tight shirts. He was too modest to show off. Sif could admire that trait in a mortal. Thor, even though he was years out of place, managed to ignore that little fact. For Steve, it was not easy. He laughed but not full heartedly. He too ate his food, more carefully and slower, taking time to cut his food and chew with his mouth closed. Like now, Steve had the napkin hanging around his chest like the old men at the bar.

Volstagg had his own table pushed next to the trio's. The plates were stacked high and leaned dangerously to the left where they loomed over the floor. A couple of smashed mugs littered the floor and maybe a plate or two. Bits and pieces of food were stuck in his auburn beard. Much like Thor, the food had managed to miss his large mouth and stuck to his gray shirt and khaki cargo pants. Fandral shook his head, covering his eyes from the hideous sight. But of the four there, he was the one to wave his hand, waffle, butter, and dripping syrup and all at 'em.

"Lady Sif and Lady Darcy," Thor greeted in his deep, rumbling voice as the trio came to join them. He rose to bow to the young ladies. "Welcome to our feast!" He spread out his hand to the food. "Have you come to join us?"

He eyed Darcy as she darted to the table with her mouth drooling. It was all he could do to repress the dramatic rolls of his eyes. "Most certainly not," Fandral sneered, pushing one of the plates out of his way with only one finger. He sat far back in his chair and turned his body away from the catastrophe on the table.

Thor sat down only after either lady had pulled up a chair across from them. The mortal was already helping herself to the food. "Then what has brought you my friends?" he addressed. The excitement that had filled his voice diminished. Sif reclined in her chair, arms crossed and eyebrows touching each other. Thor took in a deep breath. Steve placed his silver wear down on his plate and stood at attention with the sudden shift in tension.

"Odin mail came today." Darcy broke the ice with a happily sarcastic voice. "Loki has been causing more ruckus."

"Nothing has occurred here," Steve reminded. "It has been dead around these parts for a few weeks now."

"No shit, Sherlock," Tony retorted.

Sif huffed. "Your brother—" She used the term lightly, and only for Thor who still had a child's hope that inside the chaotic man was the little brother he both bullied and protected when he was boy. "He paid a visit to Sigyn." The god placed his fingers along his chin; his eyes deepened as that cloud of pain came back to rain on his sunny day. She felt guilt in her heart for ruining his happy-go-lucky morning. Thor's whole face seemed to become ten years older with the mere mention of his brother. The liveliness that came from him faded, leaving him silent. Her eyes softened for him. "He took Sigyn. Allfather is concerned for her. He is demanding we search for her so we may bring her back to Asgard."

"Find Sigyn?" Thor repeated for his own good.

Steve flicked his eyes to the two conversing Asgardians. "Pardon me, but I am not familiar with Norse mythology," he said. "I have never heard of this Sigyn."

"Sigyn is my brother's bride," Thor explained.

"Oh," he muttered.

"I do not understand why my father would wish to have Sigyn returned to Asgard," he stated. "I see this as an opportunity for her to speak some sense into him. She is the only person who he will listen to these days. If he has come for her, then that can only mean—"

"Thor," Volstagg interrupted; his voice low but powerful. He looked to the Lion of Asgard, partially angry and partially listening to his old friend. "I think we should look at the possibility that Sigyn is on the side of Loki. She has always taken his side, even when he has been wrong." He took a large bite out of his waffle, stuffing his face till his cheeks looked like those of a chipmunk. Fandral frowned.

"Is she dangerous?" Tony asked. "Is she going to turn the Hulk into a frog and laugh or?"

"She is mostly harmless," Fandral answered.

"_Mostly_?" Steve asked for clarification.

Thor placed a hand on Steve's shoulder. "Sigyn is a reasonable woman, Captain Steve Rodgers of America," he assured. "She does not resort to violence to solve her problems."

Sif raised a brow. "That is a lie, Thor," she called out. "You saw how she came after Loki during council."

"What happened?" Darcy asked with a mouthful of bacon.

"Oh, Sigyn stormed into council one morning, came up to Loki and slapped him hard enough to draw blood from his lips," Fandral informed cheerfully. "Then she left without a word. No one saw her for a good while after that. She had Loki bending over just to earn an apology from her."

"I like this girl." Tony chuckled. His eyes warmed up to her name. A too pleasant of smile graced his face. "Why was he bitch slapped to begin with?" he inquired.

"Well, the morning before the two had a loud fight. Loki was in a foul mood afterwards; Sigyn was okay until you stuck her in a room with Loki. She would leave and not come back until he left," Fandral elaborated. "But both showed up for dinner the night before late—I am talking we were on the deserts—all disheveled and lovey-dovey. You could see the hickey—" Sif rubbed her temples, muttering something underneath her breath. "On her neck from him. They were all made up; everything was okay. Then the next morning Loki was getting ready and couldn't find his key. So, he left without his key on his waist. Well, Sigyn found the key and took it as an insu—"

"We're off topic," Sif reminded.

Fandral crossed his arms with a huff. "I was just telling a story because _they_ asked," he defended.

"Well, what does she look like?" Steve asked, trying to be helpful.

"You are never going to see her," Sif said flatly. "I doubt Loki will even let her out of whatever cave he is living in."

"On the contrary, he might, Sif," Thor debated. "I cannot imagine my brother would keep her cooped up like a pet. If she—" He hesitated. "She is on his side, then we can assume she will be aiding him. Sigyn always aided him with his pranks if he asked and she present."

"But she _is_ harmless," Tony dismissed. "We could just threaten Loki that we will kill Sigyn if he doesn't surrender."

Thor stared wide-eyed at Tony; half surprised, a quarter angry, and the last quarter deeply injured that his own teammate would stoop to such low measures. "She is _my_ sister, Tony Stark the Ironman. I will not allow you to harm either she or _my_ brother," he claimed in a protective, partially instinctive growl. Tony crossed his arms, completely ignoring Thor slowly shifting his bristling body to him. "As of now, my brother has still been playing children's games—"

"You call stealing the Cube, turning the Hulk into a frog, and destroying half of Kansas fun and games?" Tony snapped.

"My brother has _not_ killed any mortal," Thor defended. "He has only been toying with the Avengers. If he had wanted to kill the Hulk, he had his chance but chose not to. My brother is not cruel for cruelty's sake. He will not claim a life without good reason. If you dare to threaten Sigyn, whether she is in our grasps or not, he will find that good enough reason to claim your life. He has done so before, and he will again. I advise you to reframe from even insulting Sigyn."

"Well, what the fuck am I suppose to do if I cross her?" he hissed. "Ask her out for tea and cookies? Take her shopping for clothes and become her best friend?"

Thor's face didn't twitch or move a muscle.

"You cannot be serious, Thor!" Tony exclaimed. "She is an enemy!" He flung his hand out into the crowd of people. Thor looked in the direction of the gesture. "I am not going to hold her hand and just merrily hand her over to Loki and pretend to be best of friends. That motherfucker tore my suit to pieces and then had the pieces pummel my brand new Aston Martin DB5. Are you even—"

Tony followed Thor's gaze out the large, glass door to the brick patio. Playing follow the leader, the rest of the Avengers and Darcy turned their heads. Thor's raining blue eyes rested on the women with the back of her head and the back of her frilly, lacy, alabaster summer dress turned towards them. She leaned over the table, thinking hard about the paper resting next to her food. The woman's golden hair was pulled completely over to her left side with two braids threaded into the hair. He breathed out deeply, almost like he had been holding his breath. But inside, he was still holding his breath. The god's heart slowed to a drudging pace where each thrum of his heart felt too long apart. She turned her head to the side; her gaze unsure and lost in the maze of people crowded on the patio.

"Sigyn."

Fandral muttered her name before Thor could even begin to mentally grasp its meaning, but Thor was halfway out the door by the time Fandral finished saying her name. He pushed a waiter to the side, completely unaware of the action or the cuss coming from the young, high school dropout. Each step, though it brought him closer, didn't feel like they were bringing him closer. Desperately his fingers scrapped over her skin and curled her. Thor squeezed her just to feel the pulse in her arm and be reminded she was more than apparition. Sigyn skittishly repelled against him. He saw the look of hurt on her eyes, smelled the bitterly cold fear from her breaths, and felt the goose bumps rising along her smooth skin.

Thor searched her face for any welcoming, but all he conveyed, rough power and impulsive instinct, pushed her farther away from him.

"Thor," she breathed out; her tongue felt dirty from caressing his name. Sigyn ran her fingers over his. Without magic or godly strength, lifted his hand away from her arm, but her fingers curled around his coarse, unsafe hands. Gently, like he was a kid she was too afraid to upset, Sigyn gave his hand a deep, empathetic grasp. The eyes of the customers were on them, burning their stares into her skin.

The god let out a deep breath; his own way of saying she was okay to let go. Sigyn didn't let go easily, not quickly and not without Thor feeling the traces of a regret grazing along his skin. He swallowed hard down the first question to come to his mind because where Sigyn was, Loki was. He shifted his eyes to the shadows, to the plants, and the eyes glaring at them. "You are to be in Asgard," he stated. His voice rumbled more as a demand than a rhetoric statement.

Sigyn raised her head high, dismissive of his demand. "As should all good Aesir," she remarked neutrally. "But alas, here we are, Thor."

She was envious of how Thor could dismiss the people around then so easily and just focus on her, like she was the only thing on a barren world like Mars. Thor simply carried on, ignorant but perhaps polite. "Sigyn," he breathed out heavily. He locked his eyes into her own eyes, trying to make up for the lack of words on his tongue. She wearily returned a leery gaze. The edge of a blade was pressing against his heart and drew the first drops of blood. "You need to go home. This place is not safe for you."

"Why not? Simply because I do wield a sword or conjure spells of great magnitude? That is a poor excuse." Sigyn winced at how pungent her words came falling out of her mouth like acidic rain. She chewed on the tip of her tongue before letting out a sigh, an unspoken apology. She ripped her eyes away from his; the goddess swore she could hear the tearing of the seams. "I am sorry for my harsh words, but alas—" Sigyn paused thoughtfully. "I am Aesir in my heart, just as you, Loki, and all Asgardians. My heart beats with the blood of those slaughtered for the ambitions of Laufey. Though those are not my ideals, I will be treated as if they were."

"Of Laufey?" Thor inquired. He stared bewildered at her, not quite sure what she meant by those words or even the meaning of them. "It does not matter what blood you have as long as your heart is Aesir," he dismissed and reassured at once. "As long as your heart is Aesir, your home shall be Asgard."

She smiled nervously, sadly, and regretfully at him. "If only, Thor," Sigyn replied softly. "My only home in Asgard was the hall of my pa. With his passing to the realm of Hel the Half Rot, I was taken to live with Allfather. There I realized I would prefer to be homeless than caged and treated as a pet."

"You were _never_ treated as pet," Thor argued defensively.

She shook her head. "I love you so very dearly, Thor, but I am sorry for you because you see only the things in life you wish to see. Then you wonder why any of _this_ has happened," the goddess spoke unhappily. Thor was stoic and glanced away to rustic bricks. Sigyn gently lifted her hand to his face and turned his eyes back to her. She simply looked sympathetic to him, understanding. "Perhaps someday when we are all old, our grandchildren young, and mortals finally wise, will we laugh this all away," she offered.

The lie was obvious.

He felt the truth in her touch.

They, Thor and Loki, would_ never_ laugh this away; only devour each other's throats.

Sigyn leaned on her seat to look inside. Her lips opened with apprehension. "Take the others and hide them somewhere safe," she whispered. "I shall buy you half a day's time. I suggest you use it to pay Balder a visit. He shall have a story for you." Thor looked peculiarly at the pained expression on her face. She grazed her fingers along his jaw. "I will be fine," the goddess nervously assured with a weak smile. Sigyn rested her hand on her other forearm. In less than a blink of an eye, the unmistakable licks of fire squirmed beneath her hand. There was fine sound of crackling like wood that was quickly drowned out hair-raising scream that made his ears cringe and bleed.

"Tony!" Darcy screamed just as loud and painfully as Sigyn.

Thor stumbled back as Sigyn flopped onto the floor. He caught the glimpse of the black skin from the fire. His attention switched to the screaming from the occupants inside the building. The mortals stood up, only allowed the god to catch quick glimpse of Tony collapsed onto the table in a pool of blood. Above him, Loki stood in his Asgardian armor, a bloody dagger in his left hand. Thor growled, and surely the trickster must've heard it by how he locked his jade eyes on the god. All too satisfying smirk smeared his pale lips.

_Come and get me._

In a blink of his eye, Loki vanished. Sigyn's cries were silenced.

The god, in the midst of the swarm of people pushing and pulling and frantically chasing down the door, Thor stood tall. He looked down at where Sigyn had been lying. All he saw were the bustling feet of people in fear. Through the screams of shattering of plates and glasses, they were all dulled by the words of Sigyn echoing inside his head.

_Take the others and hide them somewhere safe… I will be fine._

* * *

><p><strong>Review and Answer:<strong>

_To Ikuni Hattori: _Sigyn's injuries will be explained throughout the story as that particular scene plays a major role!

* * *

><p><strong>Borrowed Mythology:<strong>

* Sigyn is in fact a princess.

* From what we know of Sigyn, she is a very feminine, pretty girl who supposedly embodies both a battered and loved wife that is loyal to her husband, even when he strays.

* * *

><p><strong>Borrowed Marvel Information:<strong>

* All Asgardians have super human strength.

* Fandral is the egomaniac of the group. Quite a few people mix this trait in with Loki; however, Loki is not an egomaniac. Loki is more adaptive and make the best of a bad situation to his advantage. Fandral, on the other hand, is much more picky and OCD. I know weird.

* Volstagg is a beast when it comes to eating. We saw this in the movie.


	4. Special Note

**We're Running Up Hill**

* * *

><p>Little note, this story is being moved. I am sorry to those who have reviewed this, placed it under favorites, or put it on your review lists. Byebyebabeh (BBB - author of <em>Lead Me Back To Normalcy<em>) and I have decided to collaborate a story together. We decided to collaborate the story I started to write. So the plot and characterization of the characters will be the same; however, the chapters will be written by both of us. Actually, the plot has changed a tincy bit since now its not one man vs three realms. We have to make it a bit more realistic!

Anyway, we've renamed it _To Swallow the Sun&Moon Whole_. As of now, the story is rated "T" until we hit our first "M" chapter, which I believe is chapter 4. As an added bonus, there will be an update tonight! So go place it under your alerts so you don't miss the first chapter!

fanfiction . net /s/7324289/1/To_Swallow_the_SunMoon_Whole

Please remember to remove all spaces from link in order for it to work.


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